Venezuela suspends regional summit due to President Chavez's illness

Venezuela suspends regional summit due to President Chavez's illness

2011-06-30 05:45:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (BNO NEWS) -- The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday announced the postponement of the 3rd Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development (CALC) due to the latest medical issues of President Hugo Chavez.

According to state-run AVN news agency, the summit was scheduled to take place on July 5-6 in Margarita Island, northern Venezuela. The decision was previously consulted with the participating nations.

The CALC summit will be re-scheduled at a later date but it is expected to be celebrated during the second quarter of the year. The meeting is intended to solidify the union among Latin American countries.

In recent days, the health of President Chavez has been a topic of discussion worldwide after rumors surfaced that the Venezuelan leader died in Cuba due to cancer.

Chavez and Venezuela dismissed the reports but confirmed that he is under strict medical treatment and after-care process in the Cuba capital La Havana. On Wednesday, a video was released showing Chavez along former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The footage was unveiled by Venezuela's Vice President Elias Jaua who added that it was recorded on Tuesday. He remarked that Chavez underwent surgery but he is in good condition.

Despite his medical issues, Chavez did not take a break from his presidential duties and in fact approved funding for finalizing two manufacturing facilities projects: one for building Belarusian tractors and the other for constructing home-made satellites.

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